Flash rooms on Khlong Son Bay
Just north of Khlong Son village stretches Siam Royal View, a Swiss-managed complex with a string of tasteful two-storey houses overlooking a quiet beach. Here you’ll find plush rooms and attentive service at one of the only places to stay for non-homeowners: Little Sunshine.
Staying in a modern housing development may not sound appealing, but this truly is a lovely spot and the sheltered bay is ideal for families and couples looking for peace and quiet. Staffers at the intimate French-run resort have a can-do attitude, taking time to chat with guests at breakfast and enthusiastically showing anonymous travel writers all available rooms.
Set in a series of contemporary Thai-style concrete houses with pointed wood-shingle roofs and amber paintjobs, some rooms face the sea while others are set behind the restaurant and overlook a pond. A few of the inland-facing rooms also have private plunge pools, and most have connecting doors that make it possible for families and large groups to book an entire villa with multiple bedrooms.
All rooms are spacious, immaculate and done up with high-quality mattresses, tile floors, paintings of lotuses and tables on private terraces. We prefer the top-floor editions thanks to sloping wood ceilings and outlooks to the sea through floor-to-ceiling windows—romantic indeed. Widescreen TV, DVD player, WiFi, safe, desk, minibar, coffee/tea facilities, ceiling fan and air-con come standard along with hot-water shower in the large, stone-floor bathrooms.
Little Sunshine’s pricier rooms bag you full kitchens—they even have proper ovens if you’re a pizza maker—along with sofas and daybeds. Families will like the spacious roofed terraces with seats stretching up to the private pools. While rooms are not cheap, you get more for your money here than at similarly priced villas found at more typical beach resorts elsewhere on Ko Chang.
A Thai/Western restaurant, small spa and beachfront swimming pool make it so that guests can kick back and stay put at the resort, but there is a built-in shuttle service along with motorbike and car rental. You’ll also find a small bakery and cafe that’s run separately out back by the car park.
Shaded by coconut and pine-like son trees, the beach in front of the resort disappears at high tide—head south to the centre of the bay to find a wider patch of sand. Between the sand and rooms stretches a spacious lawn dotted with orchids, cushioned lounge chairs and a beach bar.
This is a fairly isolated location with virtually no nightlife and few shops nearby. The next beach south down the west coast, Haad Sai Khao, is five kilometres away, though it feels longer due to the steep switchback road. Khlong Son is convenient to the car ferry piers and it’s easy enough to hit either the east or west coast on a day trip from here. Just flag down a songthaew on the main road, where you’ll also find a few cheap Thai eateries.
If you like the seclusion, comfort and intimate setting of Little Sunshine, you also might like Amber Sands.
Address: Siam Royal View House No. 4A, Khlong Son, Ko Chang
T: (087) 607 8484 ; (081) 982 5254;
Email: little-sunshine-resort@hotmail.com
Web: http://www.little-sunshine-resort.com/
Coordinates (for GPS): 102º16'9.3" E, 12º8'30.61" N
See position in Apple or Google Maps: Apple Maps | Google Maps
Room rates: 1,500B to 4,000B
What we were quoted as a walk-in.
Superior double room | 2,400 baht | 3,470 baht |
Deluxe double room Private pool | 4,700 baht | 6,930 baht |
Family room Three bedrooms and a private pool | 8,600 baht | 12,700 baht |
Reviewed by
David Luekens
David Luekens first came to Thailand in 2005 when Thai friends from his former home of Burlington, Vermont led him on a life-changing trip. Based in Thailand since 2011, he spends much of his time eating in Bangkok street markets and island hopping the Andaman Sea.
Our top 10 places to stay in and around Ko Chang